


Delirium

by Kamuucab



Category: Creepypasta - Fandom
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Hallucinations, It's Not Paranoia If They're Really Out To Get You, Multi, Original Mythology, Paranoia, Reader-Insert, Rites of Passage, Stalking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:00:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29199495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamuucab/pseuds/Kamuucab
Summary: Nothing special had ever happened to you. You were normal, with a good plan for the future - working minimum wage, going to university, planning to graduate and get your dream job, maybe find a partner. With the next few years mostly planned out, you expected to live a simple, pleasant life.However, someone else had other plans.You didn't know it then when you saw the strange, harmless-looking symbol, but your life had already been chosen for you; and it's nothing like you ever imagined.How much does it take for a human to break? How many physical things define them? How long before they fall into...D E L I R I U M . . ?
Relationships: Brian Thomas | Hoody & Tobias Erin "Toby" Rogers | Ticci Toby, Hoody/Masky, Hoody/Masky (Creepypasta), Kate Milens | Kate The Chaser/Nurse Ann, Tobias Erin "Toby" Rogers | Ticci Toby & Timothy "Tim" Wright | Masky





	1. •Preface•

Welcome, esteemed readers and followers, to Delirium.

This is the second version of a book under a similar name I had created a number of years ago; I wasn't satisfied with how the story flowed and the direction it was going, so I decided to scrap it and start over. This that you are reading right now, is that do over. I'm satisfied with it, so I hope you enjoy as well.

PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU ARE UNDER 14!!! The themes present in here are scary, dark, and not suitable for younger readers. I know I can't stop you if you are <14 but PLEASE PLEASE heed the warnings! They are there for a purpose!! If you are anxious or experience paranoia make ESPECIALLY sure you heed the trigger warnings.

General trigger warning for this story are as follows:  
\- Stalking  
\- Descriptive paranoia  
\- Descriptive anxiety/panic attacks  
\- Hallucinations  
\- Violence  
\- Animal death  
\- Moderate to heavy gore  
\- Mentions of murder/murderous acts

If any of these themes bother you I recommend not reading this book or, at least, make sure you are in a good mindset while reading. And remember to take breaks if you get overwhelmed!

This book, though still about Creepypasta, is substantially different from any work you may have read beforehand. This is because during the process of rewriting I developed a universe to go with it. Don't worry, all will be explained within. This is just so when you see something atypical, you know there's a purpose.

As a side note, I will not, under any circumstances, be including the character Laughing Jack in this story. I condemn and detest the actions of his creator, and therefore will not be using or even mentioning the character in respect for the victims.

I recognize that Masky/the masked man, and Hoodie/the hooded man, are Marble Hornets characters and technically not Creepypasta. However, the crossover is popular and, frankly, super cool to implement. So I will be including them and elements of MH into this book.  
In the end, it's all fiction: it's fake and meant to be played with. Be reasonable and let people have fun.

Finally:

This book is a work of fiction. Creepypastas do not exist as anything than community created internet horror stories. Please do not pursue the methods of becoming a Creepypasta or Proxy, you will be disappointed with the results - and/or, unwittingly, find yourself performing actions that replicate the Slender Stabbing. For your own health and safety, and the safety of others, please remember this and keep the lines of reality and fiction clear.

Enjoy!


	2. •Prologue•

Out of all the decisions she had made in the past few months, Kate knew that this was the least rational one of all.

She should be breaking her silence and confessing her sins to her Family, letting lose the mistakes and allowing them to be fixed - why she had grown cold, taken mission after far away mission; why she had almost literally estranged herself from her fellows to live in a godforsaken shack in the middle of nowhere, hanging on with the thinnest thread of hope that it would work, somehow, and undo what had been done.

Unfortunately at this point, she couldn't even pretend to care. Her own carefully placed locks rusted shut, chains too tight to unbind by now. Her grave (she chuckled, three sharp hacks out of her lips) was emptied of its dirt by her own hands.

As she roamed further and further from home, she wondered if all that had come before was worth it.

The Proxy had return a few scant hours ago to her Families house, unannounced and quite abruptly. The house itself even startled as she entered the perimeter, lattice trembling on its walls. It didn't take long for everyone present to gather and see her, contacting those who were out to come back, quick, Chaser was finally home!

Her Bondmate, Nurse Ann, was the first to return from her hunt, panting from how fast she ran to leap into Kate's arms. She hovered by Kate's side as a party quickly formed, jubilation spilling through the halls and sweeping everyone into a frenzy.

Kate had smiled and talked as she was expected to, ate and drank as needed. Her mask, however loosely placed on her face, stayed; and after everything had been cleaned up and the Family had settled down, she separated herself from Ann's arms and slide out the side doors.

The mansions forest was the same as she remembered, so different from the forests that grew outside the Centre, and it welcomed her with every step. The faint sound of barely-there footsteps stopped as she finished wading deep into the brush and paused. With a slow, practised movement she raised a hand to her face and slipped her mask off.

The feeling of air hitting her face was instantly refreshing, and she let out a sigh of relief as the ache in her body eased; if only by a small amount. Her attempt at distracting herself from her ailment made her feel drained and awful all the time - asking to be assigned tougher and tougher tasks by the Lord, running herself ragged in the process of completing it, rinse and repeat. It was nice to take a break, one last reprieve from everything.

She tucked her mask into her fresh hoodie pocket and raised her left arm up, knuckles just peeking from the crisp sleeve. Ann had insisted on Kate changing from her dirt and blood smeared outfit into an identical, yet fresh pair. Kate had accepted the clothes from her Bondmate, and raised her mask enough to plant a kiss on Ann's cheek. It was the least Kate could do to give her Bond one last good memory before leaving.

She pulled the sleeve down to her elbow and regarded the black veins in her skin with a resigned expression. She knew it was futile to try to stall Corruption - no one in her memory was able to stop it without a Cleansing - but she had entertained a fools thought that she could avoid her Family forever, drop in occasionally, and be fine. Keep it suppressed by running her body into the ground and toeing the limits of her innate skill.

But all of her planning had been for naught. She had wanted to slaughter them all as soon as she had stepped in through the doors.

Kate pulled her sleeve down and placed her mask over her pallid face, beginning to walk again. The back of her mind screamed at her, begging her to turn around and stalk back to the mansion, to convince her Bondmate to step out of the building and spill Nurse Ann's blood on the front steps.

Kate focused on her surroundings instead, grounding herself by analyzing the landmarks.

Her internal map was constructed on years of tending to the forest and its secrets. Before she had left, Kate had been the one tasked with maintaining the entrances riddled through the forest. Marking their locations, where they lead to, keeping them from closing up. She had memorized every location of the 134 total entrances that the Lord had commandeered for his Family. She had once felt pride for this task before her ailment took that away from her.

Now she was using that work to aid her in finding the entrance she needed.

She eventually found what she was looking for - a slit of pure black that hovered just under two fallen threes that supported themselves in a triangle. She tilted her head at the entrance in an act of confusion. It looked ill maintained, smaller and thinner than when she had been the curator. Whoever had been reassigned to her task was doing an awful job of it.

Kate walked up to the entrance and held out her hands, thumbs crossing over each other in an x, fingers splayed and slightly curled. With a practised gentleness, she lifted her fingers to the top and touched the edges gently. She dragged her hands down in one fell swoop, the familiar jolt of pain telling her she still remembered how to widen the gap. When she withdrew her hands, its condition was twice as better than before.

She stood before the entrance and allowed herself a moment of mourning: mourning her current, soon to end life; mourning her Family; mourning the distant, crinkled memories of her past; but most of all, mourning her Bond, something she was too weak to break when she could. She hoped that Ann could forgive her for that.

The woman hesitated for another heartbeat, then threw herself through the entrance, running when her feet touched the ground on the other side. She could feel her connection ripple as soon as she performed this action, her Bondmate sensing the shift.

What's up? Are you okay?

I'm fine. Just forgot something.

Brief, to the point. Kate shut off her side of the connection as quickly as possible afterwards, not risking any chance of her distress being broadcast to Ann. The woman hoped her Bond wouldn't notice something was up, or at least notice in time. Ann was prone to being perceptive - Kate was banking on the nurse not wanting to rock the boat so soon after her return.

The entrance she had chosen ended up dumping her somewhere in a deep wilderness, with a heavily overgrown, deeply groved road the only remains of human contact. Kate ran until she reached the road and then stumbled to a stop, cringing as she placed a hand on her thigh.

She didn't like thinking about the night the Corruption spawned, but the memories came unbidden on a wave of pain from the wound.

It was supposed to be a routine mission, getting some sort of medical equipment or supplies for the infirmary in the mansion. There was a person, college age, a reporter with a handheld camera. Kate knee only two things after choking them to death; one, that they had been stabbing them repeatedly with a hidden Swiss Army knife in an attempt to break free from her grasp; and two, that they were not, in fact, the same reporter from long ago. That person had perished in the fire she set, she knew this. And yet... and yet...

The persons hair and clothes had sent her into a frenzy - killing them was her only thought in that moment. Afterwards, when she thought she was safe, attempting to heal had been her mistake. The energy she let in had been too much, and she only learned that when the wound opened up again, this time more gruesome and with the edges of the flesh tinted a startling black.

The wound was pulsing painfully now, worse than it had been for the months she was away. For the infection to grow and eventually consume her, it needed to feed on the energy from her Lord's world. Separating herself from the source and cutting off all avenues of exposure was a part of the plan to starve the Corruption out.

The plan seemed to have worked, she thought it had been working... But as Kate struggled to continue onward she knew it had all been for naught. How ignorant she had been; the Corruption would only pause, never truly leave her body. Not in this state, anyway. She should have reported it as soon as she had seen it.

Oh well. Too late now.

If anything, she regretted coming back to the estate at all. She had let the Corruption feast after starving it for a long time, and it wasn't going to take no for an answer. Kate could feel the infection awaken from its dormancy and wrap jealously around her thoughts, demanding to return to the entrance now far behind her; the impulse was so strong it made her ears ring.

She growled and jerked her head side to side, shaking it roughly until her vision blurred and the rumblings of the impulse quieted. She had spent too long dawdling - gritting her teeth against the pain, she began moving forward, following the old path aimlessly.

Escaping into the wild was Kate's new plan, now that her previous one had been torn to tatters. If she walked far enough away from any entrances, the Corruption that was going to finish her off would be distanced from its power source, and the beast she'd become would perish quickly. Her family would be safe from her - all the Families would be safe.

The wound emitted a particularly nasty twinge of pain at the thought, and Kate activated her skill in retaliation. Her gait became quicker almost immediately, pain becoming a background feeling. Emboldened from the surge of strength, she continued on.

An hour of progress soon passed, and though she was weaker from using her skill Kate celebrated the fact that it all would soon be over.

The celebration did not last long, however, because as she claimed another kilometre of distance from her Family's entrance something else pinged on her radar. The beast that had lain dormant awoke with a roar and Kate found herself on the ground, screaming and writhing with pain, fingernails digging into her scalp.

Another entrance so close? Breathing heavy and seeing nothing but fuzzy shapes that looked like trees, Kate wobbled to her feet. It was a newly formed entrance, a roiling grey miasma of energy spilling from the tree line denoting its freshness.

The next breath she took was filled with the miasma; it swirled down her throat and entered her lungs, and the resolve she had tried to build in those past few seconds waned.

She turned and entered the forest again, making a beeline toward the entrance, breathing in more and more energy. By how cloudy her mind was, she could tell the beast was beginning to take over, now feeding generously. She had maybe an hour, maybe less before it would consume her completely.

The only solace she could find in her predicament was that the space between entrances was relative. Though this new one was only a scant few miles from her Family's, it likely lead deep into the Outskirts. The chances of being torn to shreds by other monsters before being able to pursue any of the Families Shades or Proxies kept her level-headed. Kate was frustrated at this turn of events and that it couldn't end on her own terms, but how she felt was hardly a worry anymore.

Kate tramped through the undergrowth, uncaring of how loud she was being.

Let a monster find me now, she thought.  
I'd rather be dead before I turned.

Unbeknownst to Kate, this fleeting, destructive wish she made would be granted all too soon. So focused on her trek to the entrance, she did the one thing she hadn't since becoming a Proxy.

She let her guard down.

One moment she had cleared a steep incline, the entrance finally befalling her eyes. The next she couldn't see much of anything as she was slammed into the ground by a heavy, snarling being. Her mask dig hard into her nose, head mashed into it and the ground. The being, most definitely a monster, had sharp claws that sliced through the back of her sweater and were sunk into her flesh.

Kate yelped like a cornered animal and entered Proxy mode. She clawed at the ground in desperate movements and threw dirt up into the air. It rained down around her and into her wounds, but ultimately worked to her advantage as the weight of the beast eased up on her body, the creature possibly confused at the display. She twisted herself out of its grasp and launched out of its range, hearing the whistle of claws as it tried to catch her again. She distanced herself from the beast only to circle back as the pull of the entrance was too great.

Kate had dealt with monsters before. They were the native species of her Lords world, born from the volatile energy present in the lands and occasionally, the power of collective human fear. They use entrances to slip into the human world and feast on their flesh - she had run into a few before while carrying out missions. Monsters came in all shapes and sizes; sometimes humanoid, with distended limbs and grotesque features, sometimes purely animal-like, and at other times neither.

Monsters came in many varied forms, sure, but as Kate peeked her head out from behind a large tree, she realized she had never seen a monster like her aggressor before - and for some reason looking at it made her feel sick, dread settling thickly in the pit of her stomach.

It was, for lack of better description, a blob. It was almost exactly like the movie monster of the same name, except for its mottled grey colouring, and how it moved; much less of an ooze and more of a roll, or akin to how a snail walks. What was most confounding was the limbs that had held the Proxy down. They extended from an unknown point on the monster, no joint or true body part, and as Kate watched the clawed limbs rapidly dissolve back into the blob, the surface rippling as it folded away and another form began emerging from the mass.

What emerged was an animalistic head canine in form. It moved as if sniffing the air, and then turned toward her shelter.

Kate cursed under her breath and her eyes skittered to the entrance just beyond the monster. If only she could get to it...

She darted away as another clawed limb formed and slashed at her hiding place, gouging deep lines in the trees.

The wound pained her even more now, the feeling spreading up her leg. Paired with the slashes she sustained before, it made her actions slower, less accurate. She could tell she had less time before the Turning than expected, and she didn't want to spend it fighting a monster. Even at her best, fighting a monster was difficult as they were strong and wily creatures. She especially didn't want to fight this unknown one, as it was obviously adaptable and highly dangerous.

But she also couldn't retreat. Too close to the Turning, running back to her Family was a bad plan; and doing so would inevitably make the creature follow her and expose her Family not only to a Turned beast, but whatever this thing was. She could only hope to go through this entrance and lose it in the Outskirts. Protect her Family to the end.

She ran a wide arc around the creature, avoiding its flailing limbs and keeping her eyes tracked on the entrance. It was sitting right in front of the hovering portal, but if she could draw the monster far enough away, a quick feint to the left or right would leave her free to escape into the entrance.

She started to make a zigzag pattern, watching as the mass began rolling in her direction, the limb using trees to drag itself forward. It was almost too easy.

Kate only needed a meter of space to make it, by her calculations, but as she ducked and weaved through the trees she realized the monster had paused, limbs folding back into itself. She crept closer, hovering behind another tree, watching as the mass returned to a featureless blob. She quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

The next second she tucked and rolled as spindly, web-like appendages shot from the monster and coated the tree. They winched the monster in with a surprising amount of force, and as it collided with the tree Kate recognized that she had no chance.

She turned and ran like a bat out of hell toward the entrance, barely feeling the ground under her feet as she streaked to the portal, to relative safety. But this was all for naught.

The monster lashed out again with those appendages and wrapped around one of her legs - she crashed to the ground with a furious yell, clawing at the ground in an attempt to drag herself to the entrance - it turned into a scream as more tendrils weaved up her torso, lashing her arms together and immobilizing her completely.

Pure fear iced Kate's gut as the tendrils started reeling in, dragging her closer to the monsters mass. Unlike the performance before, this was a slower move, as if it was relishing in her fear despite no outward indication of such. Terror filled all the gaps in her already clouded mind, leaving no room to think. Her connection to Ann was blasted open, panic flooding through in droves so strong, she could barely feel the reciprocate of that emotion. The Proxy began to struggle her hardest against her bonds, smearing blood across the dirt and rocks. Not like this, she couldn't die like t

Kate heard a sound like the crack of lightening. She froze.

Instantly a primal roar rose in her throat and exited her mouth, silencing any previous ambient forest noises. It continued longer than any air could fit into her lungs as her flesh began to bulge and convulse, muscles ripping and teeth elongating, crunching under the intense movements. Blood vessels burst under every inch of her skin, her eyes popping from the pressure of her skull as it began to cleave itself in half.

The Corruption had reached it's final stage. And yet the monster paid no mind.

It continued reeling her in as if her bones weren't bursting out of her skin, as if her own flesh wasn't roiling. Her feet touched the surface of the monster's flesh and sunk in. Kate's roaring soon was silenced as the creature absorbed her completely. The forest afterward was silent, as if mourning the loss.

Kate the Chaser was no more.

The area around the monster was a mess, reminiscent of a battlefield; roots and rocks upturned, crushed bracken, large gouges in trees and in the earth, blood splattered everywhere.

The monster was still in the midst of it, so still it could have been identified as a large, abnormally smooth rock. Then, a rapid rippling spread across it. It grew more and more rapid until it stopped, all at once, and the monster was still again.

With a quiet burble, the monster began rolling towards the entrance. It entered, disappeared, and then the entrance zipped itself up behind it.

The birdsong started up again a minute later.


	3. •1•

A mansion loomed eerily from the murky fog, seemingly towering over the lawn that always grew in well trimmed, uniform shoots of darkly coloured grass. At the moment, however, this grass was growing in unruly clumps, patches of the darker earth showing through - highlighting the emotional state of those living in the house. Most notably the Lord of the estate.

The Lord, at the moment, was feeding alone in one of the many vacant rooms of the mansion - particularly, in the basement.

The room was spacious, and empty: the floor panelled with a dark oak like the rest of the house; lights covered with ornate smoked glass that cast a soft-edged yellow light across the room. There was no furniture on the floor or paintings across the walls, Leaving all the attention to focus on the deity and his meal.

This deity was bowed over the kills that his Family members had procured. Twenty corpses lay on the floor of humans all shapes, ages, and sizes, and he fed on them with a sharp intensity.

Black tendrils waved over the corpses, methodically tearing limb and muscle into pieces small enough to fit into his cavernous maw. This maw sat vertically on his back, surrounded by the summoned limbs and lined with rows of razor sharp teeth not unlike a shark's. It split from a seam in the 'fabric' of the suit jacket and teared hungrily into the flesh it was offered. Twenty human bodies were given up to this ever gnashing mouth, blood and viscera splattering all over the tuxedo. The floor underneath the feast gradually became saturated with blood, a deep burgundy seeping into the wood panelling and being consumed by the building itself. Soon all traces of gore would disappear, as if the food had never existed, and the building would be content with its own meal.

The Lord made no pause as he meditated over the corpses, preoccupied with eating and savouring the organs left in the bodies, the snap of bones as they broke under his teeth.

As the bodies diminished, the feeding slowed, until the mouth closed and knitted itself back seamlessly into the suit. The tendrils, now finished of their task, dissipated into mist.

He paused then, only for a moment, as a strange feeling overtook him. It was an urge, an inclination he had not felt for a long time.

The Slenderman then stood to his full, imposing height and readjusted the cuffs and tie of his outfit. His appearance shivered imperceptibly, and within an instant the blood on his tux was gone, suit now as impeccable as it had been before. He tilted his head towards the ceiling as new energy flowed through his being, rejuvenating the gloom and ichor he was made of. Hunger now temporarily abated, he flickered back to his office in less time than it would take to blink.

His office was an imposing room, easily the most interesting in the mansion. Bookshelves lined three of the four walls, and all were filled with ancient, preserved tomes of many genres in many languages. His desk was opposite the doorway, large and carved from cherrywood, polished to reflect the muted lighting of the chandelier that hung from the centre point of the ceiling. A variety of stationary and pens sat on the top of the desk, as well as inkwells with inks of varying colours.

The Lord approached his desk and brushed a hand over the papyrus sitting on the middle with a message half-finished upon it; it immediately burned to ashes and then slide across the desk and dumped itself into the trash can. The poem on there was of little consequence - something else was at the forefront of his concentration.

Checking on his Family was his first instinct. Stilling his movements, he delved into the threads, his connections to his children. He shifted through each one and assessed their state of being. All were more or less okay, most out hunting for pleasure now their quota had been fulfilled and his appetite sated. Family all accounted for, he reanimated and sat down in his desk chair to address the feelings brewing in him. These feelings were ancient, primal emotions that came from his younger days millennia ago, when he was not as powerful as now; the want to expand his brood.

**It has been a long time since I have done so.**  
He mused, leaning forward to plant his elbows on the desk, tenting his fingers. Nearly thirty years had passed since his Family had gained any siblings, and only a few months since his then oldest Proxy, Kate the Chaser, had perished. Remembering her made a haze thicken physically around the Slenderman, who continued to feel the loss of her connection.

Said Proxy had attained Corruption, somehow, and instead of reporting to the Lord as house rules dictated, she decided to flee to the Outskirts and had been torn into shreds by a monster - Nurse Ann had collapsed screaming her name at the same moment it had occurred, the extreme pain of such a Bond severance rendering her nearly catatonic for a week.

He had felt the loss too, the snap of the thread tying the Lord to his Proxy, and it had cut into him as well. He allowed himself and his Family a mourning period of a month before returning to business as usual, sans one. Things had been quieter, he realized. So different from the activity before that event - it was concerning.

A new Family member was in order then, he decided. Another Proxy, to aid his others. They had been impacted most by Kate's death and could use another sibling to split chores with. Kate's skill could not be replicated, but that was the lesser of his wants. The process was longer than attaining a new Shade - however the end result was always more satisfying. His children had spent so long without a mission as well, this would be good for them.

Standing up from his chair in one fluid motion, he strided to the front of his desk and faced the room, opening his connections and plucking on the right threads.

**Masky, Hoodie, Toby - gather in my office.**  
He ordered, sealing the links after his command.

The being did not have to wait long for a response. Hoodie arrived within seconds, stepping out of the shadows that gathered in the leftmost corner of the room, ready with his mask pulled on and hood up. He made his way to the center of the room and kneeled, the red stitched frown dipping toward the floor.

"My Lord..." he muttered lowly, hands folded in respect.

The other two walked in through the dark mahogany doors a minute after, footsteps muffled by the patterned carpet in the middle of the floor.

Masky had his mask on as well, clipped securely to his head. His tan jacket was unzipped, however, revealing the thick red and black plaid shirt underneath.

Toby was fully dressed in his own uniform, mask hanging around his neck. He was absently finger sequencing, tapping each finger on his right hand to his thumb in quick movements. The two joined Hoodie in bowing, hands folded as his were.

"My Lord."  
"My Lord."

They uttered in unison. All three were indifferent to the stifling haze that permeated the room, though now it was eroding from the air as the being thought of his new plan.

**At ease, please stand.**

The three men rose at the same time, relaxing their posture. Hoodie rest his hands at his sides, Masky places his in his jean pockets, and Toby continued his finger sequence where he left off.

**The loss of Kate has been a blow to our core.**  
He began, voice echoing across the threads into the minds of his Proxies. There was no visible physical reaction to her name, but the harsh sting of loss from all of them resonated back through their connections.

**The effects cut deep, and I have been observing the difficulties it has caused all of us.**

The Slenderman then nodded to Toby, who's teeth had been worrying into his gashed cheek, the tang of blood beginning to fill the air.

**I have decided that for the good of the household a new Proxy is needed. Your mission is to procure one.**

And here the men stood straighter, the promise of a mission after so long without one nearly sending them off their feet.

"Preliminary testing should occur soon then?" Masky asked; their Lord nodded once.

**As soon as possible. Within the next month I expect for you three to have finished choosing the candidates and have them Marked. I trust you remember the process?**

"Of course." the masked man said. The being tilted his head, pleased.

**Good. As for the parameters: I require you to find at least twenty humans for testing, no younger than nineteen and no older than twenty eight. You know of my other requirements - I trust that you will choose exemplary candidates.**

"We will not fail you." Masky replied. Hoodie nodded his assent, and Toby clenched his fists in anticipation, grinning widely.

**Toby,**  
The Slenderman then turned to his youngest Proxy, who stood at attention when addressed.

**You will be less involved in the beginning process. Observe Masky and Hoodie's actions and take note of the steps required. It is essential that you learn this rite, as you will most likely be carrying it out in the future.**

"Yes sir!" Toby replied enthusiastically despite looking disappointed at the order. The obedience pleased the being further. Perhaps the three were to be given a boon.

**For the time being, half of your chores will be reassigned to your other Family members. The most important will stay, however.**

"Thank you." the three answered in unison, sneaking glances at each other. The responsibilities of the household were rarely, if ever, performed by the Shades in Families. This was an unexpected, but not unwanted, reprieve.

**You are dismissed. Report back to me in due time.**

The three bowed at the waist and filed out of the office. The Slenderman could hear them talk as soon as they were out of the room, already discussing how to go about the mission. Masky was in the process of explaining the details of the Proxy rite to Toby, Hoodie adding comments onto his comrades words occasionally. Their voices faded out just as they started talking about choosing the entrances to go through, and he turned back to his desk. He had no qualms or worries about the mission, confident in his Proxies abilities to get the job done and underway in a quick fashion.

He sat down in his chair and pulled out a fresh piece of stationary, choosing a large feathered quill as the tool to rewrite the prose he had been working on - something about the colours that flashed behind closed eyelids, and the stillness of cooled flesh.

And far, far away in the human realm, approximately four kilometres from an entrance owned by the being known as the Slenderman, a person yet to be chosen went about their life - unknowing of their eventual, and painful, fate.


	4. •2•

_One week later_

The trees blurred past your peripheral as you rushed down the road, running with a hand clamped down on the strap of your messenger bag as it bumped against your thigh in a repeated, almost bruising motion. Your breathing was an attempt at keeping a good oxygen flow, moderately deep inhale with a quick exhale - your lungs, however, were burning already.

"Please please please please please-" you chanted under your breath like a mantra, skidding to a stop at the doors of the bus just as they began closing.

"Hey! I'm here!" you yelled, out of breath and sporting a crooked apologetic smile as the bus driver begrudgingly opened the doors. You thanked them profusely for allowing you on as you flashed your bus pass, swinging into one of the side seats as the bus jolted to life and began rolling down the road. Just in time. You allowed yourself a wheeze of relief to beating the odds, and then pulled your computer out of your messenger bag, booting it up and continuing the work on the essay that had gotten you into the predicament of missing the bus.

You had woken up early feeling energized, and had gotten dressed and ready remarkably quick for a Monday. So early, in fact, that you were even able to catch your mom for a goodbye hug as she went out the door to go to her work, a gardening business she herself owned and ran. This kind of rare morning read as a good omen, and so you forwent normal diligence to check on your recent assignments and carve a chunk out of them.  
You only barely registered the bus passing by your house by the glint of its exterior through the main front-facing window, head snapping up and then looking down to the time. You cursed, slapped your computer shut, and then busted your ass to grab everything and book it out the door.

Missing the bus would have been far from ideal, as the next bus that came by was a half-hour after that one, and would have definitely made you late to your work at one of the city bookstores.

No more homework in the morning you thought.  
You had made it on the bus by a hairs-breadth, and weren't keen on repeating that mistake. There wasn't time in the morning to even get good work done anyway.

Replying the scenario in your read made you chuckle, and you pulled out your phone, opening it up to messages and clicking on the contact, "Mom 💕"

Almost missed  
the bus lol!  
had to sprint  
like a fool to  
catch it

Your mom responded almost immediately.

😂  
_Good thing you made_  
_it, getting a dock in_  
_pay would make it_  
_harder to pay us_  
_rent._

You rolled your eyes.

Yeah yeah loan  
shark, I get it. 400  
on Friday as usual.

_Haha! I have my_  
_work mind on..._  
_Love you honey!_

_Oh also... dad isn't_  
_going to come home_  
_this or next weekend._  
_Work needs him longer_  
_over there._

Okay, thanks  
Have a good day mom

You smiled despite the news about your dad and pocketed your phone, glancing out the window and at the monitor towards the front to check the buses location before refocusing on the essay before you. Darn, you had been looking forward to seeing your dad. His job made him fly around the country often, and he only came back home twice a month on the weekend. That meant it was mostly just you and your mom, but since she was busy with her job and you were busy with work and university, you two were more like roommates.

You only really felt like a part of a family when dad was around, but it was whatever.

The bus filled up quickly as you got closer to downtown, and so you had to abandon your essay (and elbow room) for other passengers. You put your computer away and then folded your hands on the messenger bag, watching the outside world zip by. As soon as your target street flashed in orange type on the monitor, you raised your arm to pull down on the yellow cord and alert the bus driver that you wanted to stop.

As soon as the bus slowed down you were on your feet, manoeuvring to skitter out as soon as the doors opened, right onto the sidewalk and into the sounds and smells of the city. You gave a wave to the bus driver as you exited.

The street was, thankfully, not clogged nor heavy with people traffic, and so you could take on a comfortable gait instead of rushing, savouring the beauty of the city while staying conscious of the time. The buildings around you were a mix of old and new - glass and steel right next to brick and stone. It was indicative of the age of the city, how long the buildings had been standing there for. Construction was always at work, tearing up old and dangerous buildings or fixing pieces of the road. You could hear them now, the roar of their equipment's engines and the shouting of the men directing them drifting just over the low chatter of passerby. You glanced into storefront windows idly as you walked, turning down a few streets until you met the sturdy doors of your work and went inside.

The bookstore was made up in a typical modern style - very open and clean, with a light brown, grey, and cream aesthetic. The smell of books - binding glue, paper, and ink - was most prevalent in the air, with only a hint of coffee from the cafe in the back making it to the front of the store. The warmth of the store greeted you enthusiastically as you stepped further in, and you shook off the chill of the morning as you walked further in.

A quick check of the time and you were weaving through bookshelves in an arc towards the left of the store, where the door to the employee break room and lockers was.

You took a shortcut through the magazine aisle and saw one of your coworkers, Charlie, crouched next to a box of new magazines, setting them up in their respective genres.

"Hey Charlie," you said. She looked up with a start, apparently thrust out of a magazine trance, before giving you a large, friendly smile.

"Oh! Good morning!" she replied cheerily, standing up and brushing off the knees of her black jeans.

"Was your commute okay?"

"Well, I almost missed the bus over an essay but otherwise..." you chuckled as Charlie made a sympathetic face and hissed through her teeth.

"It's good, don't worry! I won't be doing that again."

"At least you're here!" she said brightly, making you smile. That's what you liked about your coworker - she was always the first to see the bright side of things.

Just as you turned the aisle Charlie caught your attention.

"Oh! By the way, You're probably going to be assigned to sweeping the floor and reorganizing loose books from what I've heard, just a heads up!"

"Aww darn." you pouted.  
Those are always the worst jobs to do

"Thanks for that Charles, you're the best." you took her hand and squeezed it gently. She squeezed it back and nodded.

"You're welcome."

You left Charlie to her work and went into the employee break room.

It was a medium sized room, enough for a table and eight chairs, a small kitchen set up, and a few lockers on the back wall right next to a single stall bathroom. You went to your locker and unlocked it, trading the messenger bag for the neatly folded work uniform you had stored on the top shelf and then going into the bathroom to change.

You took a minute to fix your clothes in the mirror, making sure that nothing was twisted weird and that you looked more put together than you actually were.

You patted down some wispy pieces of hair and stared at your reflection, hands on either side of the ceramic sink.

"Alright, here we go."

~

The books cart's wheels squeaked softly as you pushed it down the aisle, eyes scanning the shelves for spines that matched the books in the cart. The customers that carried books away from their place and just left them anywhere made up your biggest pet peeve of working at a bookstore.

Come on, is it really that hard to put books back where you found them?

Your particular branch had some problems with it, but there was nothing that could be done about it other than collecting up the books, placing them in a cart, and having one of the suffering employees put them away. This time, that suffering employee was you. You couldn't even do anything if someone asked you for help finding something – you'd have to abandon the cart and help them.

You sighed loudly as you found the correct place for one book and slotted it in, crossing it off the list.

"Sci-fi is done, onto romance." you mumbled under your breath, tucking the pen back into your pocket.

"What's with the long face?" a voice said from behind you, an arm draping itself on your shoulders as the person leaned on you. You knew who this was, so the invasion of your bubble wasn't alarming. Another sigh made its way out of your mouth as you tilted your head to the side, looking back with a playful glare.

"Practising my horse impression." you replied in a flat tone. The person giggled and got off of you, walking around to now lean on your cart. You laughed lightly before turning serious.

"Really though Cathy, you can't do that to me when I'm working. If my manager saw that he'd bar you from entering or give me shit for it," you stressed. Cathy simply shrugged and took a sip of the drink in her hand.

"He can't do anything, we have a cover! I'm just asking you for recommendations on science fiction novels," she winked exaggeratedly, and you laughed again, lips twitching up despite trying to remain professional.

"Alright, I guess that'll work, but don't you have a class now?"

"In ten minutes, yes. I just wanted to say hi." she brushed a strand of blue-tipped hair behind her ear and trailed her gaze over the books in your cart, pulling one out and reading the back.

"Okay then. Hi, Cathy. Was your morning good?"

"Ugh, mostly." she said, putting the book down and looking up, sneering over the straw of her drink.

"Jenny was as annoying as always. She greets me with such a fake happy tone like 'Good morning Cathy!'" she put on a nasally voice to imitate Jenny, placing her free hand under her chin as she pulled a wide false grin.

"I know she's talking about me behind my back too. Brandy told me that she heard Jenny telling people that I hooked up with that Jason guy from the party but I didn't! Even if he is super hot. If I was back in Germany she would regret spreading anything about me, stupid, dumb blöde Kuh. Sie glaubt, dass sie nicht verflucht sein wird..."

Cathy trailed off, mumbling German words that you knew were probably curse-like in nature.

You frowned. You knew that Jenny didn't say anything about Cathy from what you heard - Jenny wasn't into spreading rumours. But maybe that changed?

"Oh, that sucks."

"Yeah, she thinks she's cool just because she lives on campus and everyone likes her." Cathy bit her straw angrily.

You shifted your weight to your heels, choosing your words carefully.  
"Well, to be fair all of that stuff doesn't really matter, we aren't in high school anymore. If she's that petty then let her be, you're better by being the bigger person and not responding."

Cathy exhaled in defeat and looked down at her shoes, placing her hand on her hip as she leaned against the cart.  
"Yeah, you're probably right."

Her eyes then came up to meet yours, voice low.  
"Okay, topic change. Did it come in?"

You suppressed a smile at her hushed words, as if just talking about the book was too powerful.

"If you mean your 'Spiritual Messages in Dreams' book, then yes. It came in last night."

Cathy hopped up and squeaked.  
"Can you get it for me?"

You looked at your cart and then back to your friend, weighing the choices. It was technically helping a customer...

"Yeah sure, come with me." you flicked your hand and walked to the backroom, Cathy following close behind. You stepped into the box filled room and came out with her book, which she snatched from your hands eagerly.

"Thanks bestie!" she throttled you with a hug and then skipped over to the register to pay for it, flying out of the store with barely a goodbye. Typical Cathy.

You rolled your eyes and returned to your task.

~

You finished your shift at one and clocked out, quickly putting on your normal clothes. This part of the day was definitely one you disliked the most. Your first class was scheduled at 1:15, and the university was five blocks away from your place of work. It was a struggle to get there on time, which was why you had walked around and memorized where your first and second semester classes took place. It saved you precious seconds when you only had to find the fastest route there instead of wondering where you had to go.

This all depended on variables such as traffic (people and vehicle), and which doors were locked or unlocked at each building on any given day. Tough stuff.

You made it to campus with a minute to spare, dashing across the grass and waving to a few people as you went by. You went into the building holding your first class and made it into the room with seconds to spare.

"Caught it by a hair! Good job." your teacher said to you.

"Thanks." you huffed, trying to control your breathing as you went to sit in a seat.

First period and second period passed by slowly. Thankfully you liked your teachers, and you mostly liked the classes as well - so it wasn't all bad.

Third period was when things picked up a bit; you had the class with Cathy that day, your third but her last. You met up with her outside building C and walked there with her. At one point you bumped your shoulder into Cathy's gently, which led into a shoulder-shoving war that you ended up winning from simply withstanding her pushing. Both of you were laughing gleefully over your antics, feeling free to do so as no one paid any attention.

After class you caught up with her in the midst of the bodily panic to get out of the doors and finally be free.

"Another test huh? He's gotta have it out for us," you exclaimed, shaking your head in disbelief.

"Definitely. I could see it in his eyes." Cathy tucked her chin in and widened her eyelids, imitating the teachers heavyset expression. You chuckled at her antics and then let out a loud "ugh."

"I still have another two classes to slog through before I'm free."

"Good luck, you're gonna need it," Cathy reached a hand into her jacket pocket and took out her phone.

"And seriously, when are you available? We have to hang out soon."

You hummed and looked to the side. You had been hoping to spend your small amount of downtime this week in a bath...

"I don't know, I don't think I'm free at all this week."

"Come on, don't you like me?" Cathy frowned at you.

"No, of course I like you!" you countered, then paused. With a huff of resignation, you told her.

"I'm free from Thursday onward." you said. She smiled in satisfaction at your answer, the two of you now in the parking lot on campus, where Cathy's car waited for her.

"Cool, just let me know when you're coming and I'll get ready, okay?" she said, halting beside her car to dig her keys out of her purse.

"Yep, I will." you jumped over the curb and onto the sidewalk as she unlocked the driver's door and slipped inside, revving the engine and backing up and waving before driving away. You waited until she was out out sight to start towards the building that housed your next class, feeling the green claws of envy dig into you. Cathy's parents had bought her that car brand new as soon as she had passed her drivers test and gotten her licence. You had your licence as well, but your parents fully expected you to save up and buy one (which would also have to be second hand). You felt that she sometimes took her freedom for granted, but you didn't let it consume you. She could do whatever she wanted.

One class passed by, then another, and then you were free, pushing through the doors and out into the fresh air, finally free, though now laden with more chapters to read and tests to study for.

You went to the bus stop just outside of the university, still cramming papers into your messenger bag as the bus arrived. You hopped on and climbed into the back of the bus, putting in your earbuds and letting the music soothe your nerves.

When your stop came you scrambled off and walked home slowly, savouring the fresher air the suburbs provided.  
Moms car was in the driveway, and from the bay window you could see her at the stove.

"Hey mom!" you called out as you entered.

"Hello honey! How was your day?" she replied. You slid off your coat and climbed the stairs, groaning as you did.

"Boring, monotonous, you know the deal." you detoured to hug her before going to your room to deposit your bag.

"Any new homework?"

"Tons. Your day?" you leaned on the counter as she stirred a boiling pot, the white foam dispersing as she put the setting down a tick.

"It was okay. I had to describe what a perennial was to at least three people, but I think they all understood." she chuckled. You laughed along with her.

"So, what's for supper?"

"Spinach stuffed ravioli with sauce. I got some hemp seeds to sprinkle on top too,"

A thunk sounded from down the hall. Your mom tilted her head toward it.

"Oh, there it goes. Could you go turn the laundry over please?"

"Yeah sure." You stood up and went to do exactly that.

~

Supper eaten and dishes washed, you were now in your room with your notes spread around you, organized according to class. You were rewriting notes taken in class on another page, in a neater and more organized print. Your textbooks were open with colour coded tabs telling you which pages were waiting to be read. Music was playing from your phone beside you, below enough that you could just hear the sounds of the tv from the living room, where your mom was watching a show and drinking tea.

Finally you stopped for the night and packed everything up. Slipping under your blankets, you closed your eyes.

The rhythm of your life was pretty typical, nothing too special or particular. You did have a savings account that took a third of your earnings in the hopes of moving out in the future and getting a car, but that was still at least a year off. You were content with this, where you were now, even if you sometimes wished that something would change.

Oh well, tomorrow is another day.


End file.
